Andrea Adamo made a strong statement at the latest MX2 Grand Prix, securing his third career GP win and proving he’s back to his best. After a challenging 2024 season that didn’t fully showcase his potential, the Red Bull KTM rider delivered two solid and consistent moto’s to claim the overall victory. In this exclusive interview with GateDrop.com, Adamo reflects on his performance, the fierce competition in MX2, and the improvements he’s made with his bike and mindset. He also shares his thoughts on working with Joel Smets, bouncing back from early-season setbacks, and his expectations for the season ahead.
GateDrop: I think that’s the third GP win of your career. How does this one feel? It must feel pretty good because obviously I don’t think last season you showed your true level. It must feel good to be back at your very best…
Adamo: Super. Feels super. I did two good moto’s, solid, consistent, so the pace was good, everything, the fitness was good. Super, I’m super happy and it’s nice to be back on top step.
GateDrop: You really had to make it happen there in the second moto as well… You needed to pass Benistant in front of this crazy crowd and you weren’t scared…
Adamo: No, for sure it was not easy. We were fast, he was fast too and the difference was really small and you could see when I passed I didn’t pull away. So, no, I’m super happy and like I said it’s super nice to be back on top step.
GateDrop: And not only him, it felt like the top four, five, six guys in MX2 at the minute are all very close. It makes the start very important and the racing is very intense. Does it feel like that when you’re out there on the track?
Adamo: Yeah, no, it feels like this. Everybody is so close, that’s why it’s super important to start well because if you lose a little bit on them then it’s not easy to take back the gaps. But, no, today all the pieces of the puzzle we put together, so yeah, and I won, so super happy.
GateDrop: I have to ask you about the bike. It looks so much better this year. It looks like you can put the bike exactly where you want and you’re probably a little bit more aggressive too… Is that something you worked on a lot during the winter?
Adamo: For this I worked less than last. So, I tried to get more used to the bike and understand the good, the strong points and the weak points and trying to make the weak points good or strong as well. So, no, like you said, it’s also a good boost of mentality and motivation.
GateDrop: Coming into this season, what were your expectations for the first few rounds? Because obviously last year probably didn’t go how you wanted it to. Did you feel that you’d be a challenger this year?
Adamo: For sure. The goal is, we know which one is the goal and we work only for that. So, I wouldn’t say, I don’t want to say a number, but you know, everybody knows what’s my goal and I guess the goal of almost everybody. So, yeah, we will fight for that.
GateDrop: You’ve had a bit of bad luck in Argentina, the first moto with the bike, you know, these things going against you, but it must be nice to bounce back in a positive way each time it happens…
Adamo: Yeah, for sure. It was not ideal to lose that many points, to have a zero on the first moto of the year. It’s not ideal. We tried our best, but anyway, those points are gone and we will maybe take back. So, we just can move forward and not think about that, you know.
GateDrop: Joel Smets is team manager now… I know you work with him closely anyway, but how’s the role of him being team manager and working with him for another winter? I did an interview with him last year and he was saying, you know, the 100% bike setup doesn’t exist. So, you need to just fight through it if you don’t feel 100%?
Adamo: No, for sure. With Joel, we work good, he’s good and nothing really changed on our team. The more technical side, the technical responsibility, it’s now another one person which is helping us so much and it’s also for sure because of him that we are in a good spot and everything’s set with the bike. So, I want to thank for sure all my team because they have been supporting me last year and this year as well even more, even more. So, I’m super happy.
GateDrop: Have you done much sand riding? Obviously, we’ve got the first real sand GP next in the calendar. How do you feel in the sand and have you got a weekend off? Are you going to do some national racing?
Adamo: No, I’m super happy about going to Riola. It’s always a home GP. It’s an Italian GP so it’s super for sure. In the sand, we are not at the level of hard pack but we have good skills also there and we can go for it.
GateDrop: Just on your contract, are you in a contract year or have you got a contract with KTM for next year?
Adamo: We will see. It’s still really early to talk about that. We will see.
